About

The Sid Valley Bat Research Project is a volunteer run, long term, catchment scale project initiated in 2015. The project is part of the Sidmouth Science Festival which has gained funding from the NINEVEH trust and the Sid Vale Association for equipment.

The project is partly a citizen science project aimed at involving as many people of the Sid Valley as possible, engaging people with bats and the wider environment; along with bat ecologists.

The project is open to anyone outside of the valley too and there are no expectations of knowledge or commitment.

Why Are We Doing This?

To research species behaviours to better understand bats needs to conserve population numbers

Raise awareness of the need to conserve bats

Help to conserve areas important for bats

Inspire the community to engage with nature

Help to conserve areas important for many other species – bats are an indicator species

To add to records to help influence future planning decisions

All species of bat, their breeding sites and resting places (roosts) are protected under Regulation 41 of The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and Section 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). It is an offence for anyone to:

Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat or group of bats in a roost

Damage or destroy any place used by bats for shelter, (whether they are present at the time or not)

Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to a bat roost

Deliberately capture, kill or injure a bat

Possess, or offer a bat (dead or alive) or part of a bat, for sale or exchange